From “try yoga” to “start journaling,” most mental health advice piles on extra tasks. Rarely does it tell you to stop doing something harmful. New research from the University of Bath and University of Hong Kong shows that this “additive advice bias” appears everywhere: in conversations between people, posts on social media, and even recommendations from AI chatbots. The result? Well-intentioned tips that may leave people feeling more overwhelmed than helped.
With mental health problems rising worldwide and services under strain, friends, family, online communities and AI are often the first port of call. Understanding how we advise each other could be key to making that support more effective.
A collection of eight studies involving hundreds of participants, published in Communications Psychology , analysed experimental data, real-world Reddit advice, and tested ChatGPT’s responses. Participants advised strangers, friends, and themselves on scenarios involving both harmful habits, like gambling and missing beneficial activities, such as exercise.
Key findings:
Senior author, Dr Tom Barry from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, England said.
“In theory, good advice should balance doing more with doing less. But we found a consistent tilt towards piling more onto people’s plates and even AI has learned to do it. While well-meaning, it can unintentionally make mental health feel like an endless list of chores.”
Co-author, Dr Nadia Adelina from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong said:
“As AI chatbots become a major source of mental health guidance, they risk amplifying this bias. Building in prompts to explore what people might remove from their lives could make advice more balanced and less overwhelming.”
This research was supported by the Research Promotion Fund of the Department of Psychology, University of Bath, England.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Tanswell
University of Bath Press Office
Tel: 01225 386319
Email: rlt54@bath.ac.uk
Notes to editors
Link to the research paper People overlook subtractive solutions to mental health problems | Communications Psychology
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00312-8
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Communications Psychology
People overlook subtractive solutions to mental health problems
20-Aug-2025